J Francho

If you are looking to replace OE bearings, look no further than Smooth Drags: http://www.smoothdrag.com/ Their ABEC 7 ceramic hybrids are reasonably priced and offer excellent performance.

I've caught plenty of fish that have jaws that have obviously been broken in half, and healed. Here's one, note the V-shaped lower jaw, and this isn't even a 2 lb. fish:

There is no one color they avoid, but anything that remotely looks like a blue gill or yellow perch is DEFINITELY toast, LOL.

The less hands on a fish, the better. The less time out of the water, the better.

Learn to tie an Alberto and those issues are a thing of the past...

They look awesome. If you think it makes a difference, go for it. Personally, those colors all look like pike food.

Oh jeez, whatever - I can handle myself and the boat. You have to know your limits. Some make boating out to be something way more dangerous than it is - take it at least as serious driving a car. "That feeling" mostly just means a sore back. Not that I didn't feel safe. Believe me, I grew up on Lake Ontario. When you see white caps forming off shore, you have about an hour to react on Ontario. Erie, you can cut that time in half. Oneida is similar, though the waves come at you faster, so it's even more dangerous - easier to spear a wave. Anyway, I swamped a boat once, and that was enough. Funny that was a 22' Four Winns bowrider which should have been able to handle much worse - just bad driving. They don't work like a deep-v or a bass boat. That was a long slow ride back. luckily got her back without needing a tow.

They don't feel any different. The spool has a textured anodized finish, though.

Depends on the lake, but I've had EXCELLENT results using jointed wakebaits and mid depth crankbaits. Focus on key main lake points.

I've been using lefty reels for pitching since the early 90s - anyone remember the old Daiwa Black Widows? "High speed 5:1 ratio, and they had a single brass bushing, LOL. This 201E7 is going on a Dobyns DX744. As far as only Daiwa goes, I actually own three CI4s, and old white Stradic, and a couple Calcuttas. One of my all time favorite reels is a 200B that I customized:

You already posted this thread, and I moved it to the Southeast forum. Hopefully you will get some good responses from local anglers. http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/forum/16-southeast-bass-fishing/

Most of my ultralite stuff. A couple underspins, and a spinning reel, all in great shape. I'll be bringing in the rods next week. Might try some Rage or maybe TFO stuff out.

Actually, the one I had in my hands was a righty - just thought of that.

In weeds, I tie direct. In rocks or under docks, I use a fluoro leader.

Some great deals out there!

Had one in my hands at BPS Auburn this past weekend. It didn't impress me, though it was light.

I know that exact feeling. Get it sometimes when leaving the Buffalo Harbor on Erie, LOL.

I'm not talking about the flashing bar, that's for 2D. Maybe I'm not explaining it well enough for you....The fact remains, there is a stream of constant data emanating from display, top down, in SI/LSS, or from the right on a 2D, RTS or not. If you need the entire screen to interpret what you are seeing, then maybe the 360 is the way for you. Personally, it seems clunky and slow from what I've seen. Would be useful when prefishing, but while actually fishing, 2D or SI/LSS gives you a more instant and continuous image. It also seems as though you have to be sitting perfectly still to get a clear image, whereas SI/LSS works best when moving. Right now, it's way too much $$ for me anyway.

Not likely. The is ZERO problem holding them like this:

There's some great writing in that song.

That is only if you need to "read" the entire history left on the screen in order to interpret the returns. As with traditional 2D sonar, everything on the right is "right now." With this new technology, you have to wait for it to sweep the area of interest before you see what's there.

This looks real good. For you guys experimenting, I think you'll also find that skinny weights work best for this.

More or less.

You should go to the roundup in July. I should be there with pork hots and "hot sauce." It's a blast. Otherwise, most common meeting grounds are just too far from good water right here.

Awesome looking xanthic bass!